3-Man Weave: Raptors tested; Clips need savior

There’s no shortage of drama in the 2016 NBA playoffs. We’ve got five series remaining in the first round, and four are far from decided. The East, in particular, has provided fans with matchups that have been more even than we anticipated. The Hawks-Celtics and Heat-Hornets series are all even at two games apiece, and the Pacers are giving the Raptors more problems than most expected, though find themselves one game away from being ousted.

In the West, the Clippers suddenly find themselves in a bad spot against the Blazers after losing stars Chris Paul and Blake Griffin to injuries. The Warriors also lost their superstar, yet are proving they’ll be just fine against the Rockets.

Our NBA experts take a look at some of the more interesting questions surrounding the opening round in our latest 3-Man Weave.

The Hawks have been sharper, and the Celtics have found ways to win with hustle. Can Boston keep up to come back in this series?

Ken Berger: The Celtics have a tremendous home-court advantage that helped fuel them in Games 3 and 4. But on the actual floor, Boston is overmatched talent-wise — and talent ultimately rules the day the deeper you get into a playoff series. Having said that, the Hawks had better realize that the Cavs are resting up and waiting for them in the second round, and they do not want to give the Celtics any life early in this game. If the Celtics somehow find a way to junk-up the game and force a Game 7, I don’t see the Hawks losing that one on their home floor. From their perspective, better to not even entertain that possibility.

Matt Moore: I think they will, just based on kind of how this series has gone and what the Celtics do. The Hawks are more talented, have sharper execution, better personnel, are healthier, smarter, and have made better adjustments as the series has gone on. And yet Boston took the two in Boston. They’re hustle junkies and manage to keep their foot to the floor at all times. Marcus Smart continues to step up and you can’t expect Isaiah Thomas to have as bad a game as he did in Game 5. I expect this to go seven, just on account of how downright stubborn the Celtics can be, and how they respond whenever things get tough.

Zach Harper: Technically, it’s possible. The Celtics get buy on creating chaos, thriving within that chaos, and playing harder than their opponents. The problem with that is the Hawks have incredible discipline within their system and they have far more top talent than the Celtics. The role players are even as good, especially with the injuries to Avery Bradley and Kelly Olynyk. So not only is Boston in trouble from a talent standpoint, but they also can’t seem to consistently get their strategy to work either. It’s not a poor game plan; it’s just hard to execute it when you’re going to Jared Sullinger, Evan Turner, and Isaiah Thomas while the opponent is going to Paul Millsap, Al Horford, and Jeff Teague.

Throw in the fact too that if the Hawks are hitting the open shots their offense generates, which is exactly what happened in Game 5, then the Celtics simply don’t have the firepower to keep up. Unless they can find ways to keep the next two games, with obvious emphasis on Game 6, in a state of chaos and panic, they don’t really have a chance of keeping up with Atlanta.

The Heat believe there’s been unfair officiating …

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